英語考試閱讀理解練習題及答案

1、第 第 頁英語考試閱讀理解練習題及答案When IBM announced an overhaul of its pension plan for employees in America last week, it joined a parade of employers that are shifting more responsibility for saving for retirement on to workers. For many Americans, of course, this is nothing new: millions of them have been mana

2、ging their retirement assets in individual accounts for years. Nevertheless, in both America and Britain the closure of paternalistic corporate defined benefit programmes, in which pensions depend on earnings and years of service, is acceleratingeven at healthy companies such as IBM. To the e*tent t

3、hat this creates and encourages individual choice and responsibility, it is something to welcome rather than to fear. Many other countries, facing huge statepension obligations, would also like to see their citizens assume a bigger role in providing for their own retirement.Even so, the trend raises

4、 an important question: how much do people due to take on these new responsibilities know about basic financial concepts? The answer seems to be; not much, and less than they think they do. Studies show that many people overestimate their knowledge of everything from inflation to risk diversificatio

5、n and compound interest. One survey in Australia found that 37% of people who owned investments did not know that they could fluctuate in value. In America 31% did not know that the finance charge on a credit-card-statement is what they pay to use credit. Britains Financial Services Authority will r

6、elease the results of its own survey on financial literacy in the ne*t month or two. Even educated professionals may know the basics but see no need to keep up to datehaving no idea of the interest rates on their credit cards, the fees on their mutual funds or how their investments are doing. But in

7、 both America and Britain low personal saving rates and record numbers of personal bankruptcies do not bode well. If people are to take charge of their pensions, shouldnt they know a little more? In the end, ignorance could rebound on governments: if people save too little for old age, the state may

8、 have to provide for them willy-nilly.Governments are taking this very seriously. says Barbara Smith of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which recently produced a report on global financial literacy.Just this week the British govern- ment launched an online debt calculator

9、 for overstretched consumers and a money-management course for teenagers that will be offered in schools across the country later this year. New Zealand is another country trying to catch its people young; one official financialinformation website there includes an online game on Money Island.1.It i

10、s informed in the te*t that_.A. IBM cannot help but overhaul its pension planB. IBM takes much responsibility for saving for retirementC. workers will assume more financial responsibility for their old ageD. most Americans have taken on responsibility for saving for retirement2. Corporate defined be

11、nefit programmes will come to an end primarily because_.A. most companies are not so healthy as IBMB. it can help companies relieve their pension obligationsC. millions of Americans have opened their individual accounts for yearsD. more factors should be taken into consideration for a healthy pensio

12、n plan3. If one is to assume more financial responsibility, he should have more knowledge about_.A. risk diversificationB. basic financial conceptsC. how much he pays to use creditD. the fluctuation in value of his investment4. It can be inferred from the te*t that_.A. even professionals are short of financial informationB. personal saving rates will no doubt increase remarkablyC. professionals are usually better prepared for their retirementD. there will be less personal bankruptcies in both America and Britain5. The main idea of this te*t is that_.A. most people are very ignorant abou